City OKs new traffic policies

The city will handle neighborhood traffic complaints in a more consistent way through a new policy, staff said.

The topic of traffic calming was discussed by City Council in a July workshop, and the first reading of a newly revised and consolidated policy was OKed by council Sept. 23.

A goal of the update is to establish one formal policy that can be used when complaints about neighborhood cut-through or speeding arise. Educating the public on tools that are used in traffic calming is another goal, city staff said.

The policy is set to be reviewed every two years. The new policy calls for support from 75 percent of affected property owners for installation or removal of traffic control devices. In the past, the requirements differed on obtaining controls such as speed humps and no parking signs.

Affected property owners would be determined by the city engineer.

Also under the new policy, a resident who initiates a traffic measure in his or her neighborhood wouldn’t need to start what is known as a “petition,” but approach the city.